Not freezing yet!

High cross replica in Ulster Museum. 
Can anyone identify it?

The temperatures have stayed around 10 degrees centigrade but today the car told us 3 degrees.  At 3 degrees the temperature is blinking advising me to drive carefully.  Now is that amazing?  Do all newer cars do that?  We are staying well and warm.

Last night Marda presented her slides from her trip to China to the Cornerstone Community members.  Tonight she will go to a lecture hosted by Contemporary Christianity Ireland. Bob Goudzwaard will speak on 'Money, Magic, Greed and the Power of Illusions: A Christian Critique of Our Time.'  She will hope to understand economics, sure she will!  Ward will attend the church midweek meeting where Jack is teaching about Gospel in Conflict. 

A trip to the neurologist today yielded a nod of approval and "keep it up and see you in six months".  What can we do with chronic illnesses?  You live with them.  Ward confirmed the meds don't affect the kidneys or liver and is doing his exercise routine right now.

Reading and wandering

I have two books going. The first is Mountain Rain, a biography of James O. Fraser by Eileen Fraser Crossman. Fraser was an adventurous missionary who worked with the Lisu peoples of Yunnan province in the early 20th Century. Having spent 8 days in Yunnan in August, I find this early pioneer's work very interesting. The second book is Paperboy, a memoir by Tony Macaulay. Macauley grew up in the upper Shankill Road and writes about his experiences and remembrances from his childhood in the mid 1970s. The language is colloquial and can teach me how to have a north Belfast accent if I apply myself. These two thoughts are tied together by a funny blog my friend Dinah Chong just published. It is my same situation, so it is. Dinah has been at it since I met her in 1994 a Canadian born Chinese having moved to China to live and work. So it is hard to believe she still feels like she is at kindergarten level! Surely she exaggerates but it reads well and sobers my enthusiasm for when I put my own mind to learning putonghua, the language of China.

40 years later

Well it's true that one can't post photos so blogging is not the same. Soon all those smart ones will solve the problem and this old lady can continue to try and keep up with media venues for comms. I dont think anyone reads my blogspot anyways.



What I was going to post was a sweet picture of us. Aw!!!

What happened to August?

This is the 3rd try at this posting. What happened to August? It was spent futzing on the computer a wasteful pastime which sucks up our time. Why can't I post a photo with this post? I now have an Ipad2 but it wont let me access my photos to post them.

Omnipotent Christ
Help us help you
Care for the children
In this lifetime above the ground.

Loose their laughter flow their tears
like a sedative
Sleeping war, stilling violence
Imparting giggles of blasting innocence,
Elevating life to shining redeemed levels
Of truce in neighboring, world sandboxes—
Protesting their own savage extinctions
Sighted in too many adult crosshairs
Recognizing only shadows and stopping their age.

Don’t let nations swirl in preoccupation over
‘Who’s the greatest’,
Making idols, grabbing your essence, Lord
That we fail to hear their voices in song
Or fail to see with their eyes
Of no grid, no agenda reality.

This day your day, God
Wheel them safely around injury,
Far from the clutch and choke of illnesses
Free from the butt end of injustice,
To grow up in Christ
Everywhere in the world
Digging in the dirt of a peaceful front yard
Playing hours of hosted games on backyard concrete
Welcoming the chant of your applauding Trinity,
Caressed in the long arms of God - announcing
“Whoever welcomes this little child
In my name
Welcomes me.
And whoever welcomes me,
Welcomes the One who sent me.
For he who is least among you all—
He is the greatest.

New friends Denise and Mikes

Our new friends Denise and Mike came with their friend Michael Tinne who spent every summer of his life in Co Donegal. His father had a summer cottage. How this visit came about was an email, "Subject: ADX alum”. Denise introduces herself as alum of ADX Zeta chapter, coming to Ireland, and was told she had met me in Berkeley.

She later said she was at the Dwight Way house, my house, and Celeste’s Maybeck mansion, over 10 years ago. Her email said she is an artist (with a website). Bingo! We exchange a few excited emails and set to meet up, later turning into staying with us for a couple of days.

Her work is www.seedsfineart.org and she is active with CIVA. They came and I ran them around Belfast city. Mike is an architect, she an artist using clay, and a type 1 diabetic, they go to a Missouri Synod Lutheran church of 5000 people (St John's in Orange, CA), and she recently fired up a big gas kiln, 7 years after it was provided to her. Her work inspired me and she loved Ward's poetry and our church.

Her advice: Go sell at Victoria Square. God will provide something miraculously so I should build the kiln shed and wait.

Long days out and about

missed a posting in June. With the long days we were out a lot and tired when we got in. With long days and regular watering plants flourish. These Chinese lanterns are twice the size of the ones in my Berkeley garden!

What a glorious month of feeding we have had too. We were reminded of Mount Stewart and Portaferry, by the Presbyterian Women bus run. Mount Stewart was the place where we were hosted by an English couple who were Buddhist back in 2005. Now we learn the Rollinsons have moved to the Zen Garden that is part of the National Trust. That is good karma for them. In hindsight they were people placed along the way to point us to where we would go. Claire said we are lonely here but you will have an easier time moving to Northern Ireland because you will be a part of a church community. She was also one who welcomed us to stay with them when a devout Christian turned us away with a Bible quote. Because we stayed at Mt Stewart we were able to meet Maureen and Doug Edmundson who also encouraged us by many kindnesses. So bringing us to this week's outing we went back to Portaferry to visit Hugh and Anne, friends of the Edmondsons,. God washed us with blessings as we shared time and stories with this precious couple. Hugh has lived with Motor Neuron Disease (ALS) for 10 years and is still enjoying a full life.